The Image staff muses on the culture of keeping up appearances

More men going under the knife for facelifts, liposuction

March 21, 2011 | 12:01
am

More men are going under the knife for plastic surgery, according to a report released Monday by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. While the number of cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. increased 5% in 2010 compared with 2009, the number of men getting facelifts, liposuction and breast reduction surgeries increased 14%, 7% and 6%, respectively. Overall, men underwent 1.1 million cosmetic procedures last year.

Women in recent years have been trending toward minimally invasive cosmetic treatments such as Botox and Restalyne. The fastest-growing cosmetic procedures for men, however, are surgical.

Nose reshaping tops the list of most common cosmetic surgical procedures performed on men, followed by eyelid surgery and liposuction. Women's most common plastic surgery is breast augmentation.

The statistics "reflect trends in my own practice," said Dr. Phil Haeck, a Seattle-based plastic surgeon who is president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. "On the one hand, I wasn't surprised, but I'm fascinated by it."

Haeck said men's pursuit of plastic surgery is driven in part by the economy. Older men who've lost jobs are competing with younger men for work. He added that a new business casual dress code is also exposing the muffin tops and flabby goosenecks that used to be hidden with suits and ties.

Baby boomers are driving the upward trend in plastic surgery. Born between 1946 and 1964, boomers now range in age from 47 to 65 -- a prime time for plastic surgery. In that age group, many men have been in the workforce long enough to have the financial means, along with the aging bodies, to have such procedures performed. According to the ASPS, 40- to 55-year olds account for almost half of all cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S.